The thought of traveling alone is very intimidating to most people. Navigating through a new city and trying to make the most of your time there while not having a loved one around to keep you from eating fast food for every meal is difficult. In addition, traveling alone always comes with safety concerns. As a young woman, it’s especially terrifying. It seems as though every other day there’s a new story about another young woman becoming the victim of a violent crime while traveling alone. For my first-ever solo trip, these stories definitely lingered in the back of my mind as I tried to take advantage of all of the beauty that Ibiza, Spain has to offer.
I came to Europe this semester making a promise to myself to never feel the need to wait around for others to be on board with something I want to do in order for me to do it. While the idea of visiting Ibiza during its off-season may sound unappealing to some people, I do not regret taking the trip at all. In fact, my weekend in Ibiza was one of the most relaxing and spontaneous weekends I’ve ever had.
My first night was spent taking a brief walk around the hostel I was staying in to familiarize myself with Ibiza Town. The streets were mostly empty because the island sees very few visitors during this time of year. Still, I avoided those which were not lit and made sure that my cell phone’s battery was charged in the event of an emergency. By around midnight, I returned to my hostel to prepare myself for the long day ahead of me.
The next day I traveled west of the island to get a view of Es Vedrà, a small rocky island described in Homer’s Odyssey as the home of sirens and sea nymphs who
tried to lure Ulysses from his ship, before hiking to the bottom of nearby cliffs where the ruins of “Atlantis” lay. The sound of the huge blue waves crashing against the rocks below me, the sun’s rays warming my skin, and the breeze caressing my face brought me unimaginable amounts of joy. I remember wishing that I could live in those moments of blissful relaxation forever. After I returned to my hostel later that evening, I quickly left once again to go to a nearby beach and watch the sun set before going to eat dinner and returning to my hostel once again to sleep.
I spent my last full day in Ibiza enjoying just a few of the lovely beaches the island has to offer. The first beach I visited was Es Codolar, a beautiful pebble beach that is among the largest on the island. I walked along its rocky shore briefly before going to Sa Caleta, where I spent the rest of the day tanning and occasionally dipping my feet in its frigid waters. Upon my return to Ibiza Town, I walked through the Ibiza Castle on my way to Platja de ses 
Figueretes to watch the sunset, as I did the evening prior.
Luckily for me, I did not encounter any dangerous people or situations in my travels. Because I am late for absolutely everything, to ensure that I was punctual for my flights to Ibiza and back to Seville, I set several alarms on my phone that resulted in my arrival to Ibiza airport 3 hours before my flight. The bus system in Ibiza was extremely easy to navigate, but I recommend researching different methods of transportation before traveling to ensure that your travels are as safe and efficient as possible. Flying solo was not nearly as intimidating in theory as it is in practice. Before my weekend in Ibiza, I was terrified of traveling alone. Now, I cannot wait to have the opportunity to do it again.
